Is Instagram Dying? How IG’s Redesign Impacts Creators, Brands, and Regular Users

Over the past week, a post has been going viral on Instagram that states, “Make Instagram Instagram Again. Stop trying to be TikTok. I just want to see cute photos of my friends. Sincerely, Everyone x.”

Kylie Jenner shared the post on her Instagram Stories, longing for the good old days of Instagram as a photo sharing app. Her sister Kim Kardashian also shared the same post, which has over 1.1 million likes. The associated Change.org petition has nearly 200,000 signatures. Adam Mosseri put out a video explaining the changes, but he believes video content is the future.

Kylie Jenner longs for the days when Instagram was a photo sharing app.

Why do so many creators and brands hate Instagram’s new redesign and algorithm changes? It’s due largely to TikTok and how we consume content now. During the pandemic, TikTok grew in popularity because it was a laid back approach to social media. You could discover creators and brands very easily through 10 to 30 second video clips. As a result, Instagram is fighting to take it down.

Instagram has been a vital part of our culture for over a decade. It wants to be the SUPREME SUPER APP. Think Amazon but for social media. Not only has Instagram minted a new class of celebrity, it has propelled the direct to consumer era and fanned the flames of influencer culture.

So, while the end is near, here’s what you do if you’re not ready to delete Instagram (but you also hate the updates):

1. If you’re a social media manager, you need to focus on platforms that feel natural and beneficial to your brand. If you want to share something relatable and funny, use TikTok. Want to create better relationships with your followers and foster a community? Then you might want to check out Discord, which boomed during the pandemic. If your content is a bit more spicy, try Twitter.
2. If you’re a regular user, it’s time to use the option where you can favorite accounts and view the chronological feed. From the drop-down menu, tap on “Following.” You’ll be moved over to your Following feed, which is only populated with posts from accounts you follow and is organized in chronological order. There will be no posts from hashtags you follow or suggested posts based on your activity.
3. If you still want to grow as a micro-influencer, be consistent and keep learning new things. Being an influencer in this economy can be daunting. You might wake up to 50 new followers, while other days, you’re lip-syncing to a trending audio in order to please the IG Gods. The pressure to create a viral Reel might feel overwhelming, but it honestly shouldn’t be this way. Like anything in life, be willing to change and adapt to new platforms. Don’t ever put your eggs in one basket.

All that being said, we really do miss the days of Instagram circa 2012 when everyone posted poorly-lit food photos with the “Toaster” filter. Please Adam Mosseri, bring a little bit of that back. We’re begging you.

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